Did you see 60 Minutes the other night doing an expose about Greg Mortenson and his charity that claims to build schools in Pakistan?

Greg Mortenson wrote Three Cups of Tea, a book about his experiences with climbing K2 and how it changed his life afterward. Some friends gave me the book, but after reading the cover leaf I had little interest. I’ve seen adventure travel first hand and it’s changed my life in a positive way, but frankly some of it makes me wince because I’ve seen enough to know there is a lot of fraud that goes on in that business. There is the small rip-offs that are covered up by the ambiguous agreements you sign with the guides and guiding services and then there is a larger problem with the whole adventure book writing culture that writes stories about life and death adventure that can’t be proven and probably never happened. There is a certain type of personality that seeks to guide adventure climbs and senses how people back home could be taken advantage of in a way that rakes in the dough for them. The way 60 Minutes laid out this story Mortensen is being accused of running his organization in a way that lacks financial transparency and is being placed into this latter category.

If I understand Mortensen’s story he tried climbing K2, was unsuccessful, ended up in a small village with a Pakistani family and being somewhat injured, this family nursed him back to life. Their generosity caused Mortensen to make a promise to go back and build a school for the children in the village. He did raise the money to build the school and since then an organization (Pennies for Peace) created solely for raising funds to build schools in Asia has raised … well that’s the problem, raised how much and what have they done with the donations?

This isn’t anything new really. When it comes to using OPM’s (other peoples’ money) financial transparency is always an issue. It’s an issue from Wall Street to Main Street and down Education Lane. Our local school board thinks it has a God Given Right to spend as much money as it can dream up. There is over one million square feet of vacant office space in the City of West Des Moines and the West Des Moines School Board members are building a 103,525 square foot addition onto the school at a cost of $62.6 million. And if that’s not enough, parents are raising money to move an old brick dairy barn.  This is insanity to the nth degree.

But let us get back to the adventure book signing circuit because it’s more fun than local stupidity.

If you’re thinking of donating money to an organization that is online first look to see if they disclose how much money has been donated, how it’s being spent and whether or not the expense budget is publicly disclosed. If not, then move on to one that does.

For the most part adventurists just barely scrape by and up until 1996’s Mount Everest debacle and the book Into Thin Air was published, as a culture climbers were living under the radar screen and locating crash plane cargo to hopefully scavenge out a living so they could do what they loved to do, which is climb. But then in 1996 Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air transformed the culture of climbing into a profitable business. What Scott Fisher and Rob Hall were unable to achieve in life, Krakauer’s book was able to bring mass appeal to climbing an 8,000 meter peak by writing about their deaths. Mortensen is a Johnny-come-lately and frankly there isn’t enough room at the summit to allow his crampons too much of a purchase. Listen to Krakauer rake Mortenson over the coals.

Greg Mortenson's Stories From 'Three Cups Of Tea' Called Into Question By '60 Minutes' (VIDEO)

So what is this blog about today? It’s about men and women who write about adventure just to get your money. I call it the Tea Cup Syndrome; a personality trait that is a combination of the Peter Pan Syndrome and the Participation Trophy Syndrome. The Tea Cup Syndrome is an emotional Ponzi Scheme built upon a foundation of hype and a false premise of the donor wanting some meaning in their life. The donee uses good will from initial followers to hook and roll later donors who contribute ongoing funding to advance some socially appealing idea. As an example raising money for breast cancer or cleaning up the mountain are socially appealing so long as that is what the money is being used for. But is it? is your money being used really do any good or  is your money being used to support the life style of Peter Pan? I'm not calling this the Tea Cup Syndrome because of Mortensen, no, it has to do with tea being served in Asia and how climbers tend to gravitate to Asia to pull this office. The name came about after I was served tea in Nepal and then got the runs all the way back to America.

My concern with any of these do-gooder adventurists has to do with the foundation upon which this emotional Ponzi-scheme is built. Can any of what they say be proven? If not how do you know it’s not a lie? If it can’t be proven why donate? Is it enough that the idea sounds socially acceptable?

Tea Cup Syndrome Climbing Gear

Writing a book usually helps to raise money because the book can be used to further promote half-truths, lies and fabrications of the underlying facts to garner donations. Now I’m not picking on Mr. Mortenson, I’ll let 60 Minutes and Jon Krakauer do that. I haven’t any reason to doubt or for that matter to believe Mr. Mortenson. Frankly I didn’t need to read his book because I didn’t care if he was telling the truth or not. Without being able to verify his story I would never donate to his cause. Add to that a lack of financial transparency and this organization will be left asking “What’s in your wallet?” Having been to Nepal, Narobi and Tanzania, Africa I’ve seen enough corruption to know much of what is donated is a total waste of the donor’s money. But apparently from this story many did donate to building schools in Pakistan and continue to do so; even Mr. Krakauer and President Obama donated what appears to be $175,000 combined donations to this org.

This is closer to home than you might think. Here in flat Iowa we have some who are doing more of the same and who I place in the category of the Peter Pan Syndrome. I’ve heard the spiels about donating to this or that Mt. Everest climb cause-celeb. A guy wants to continue his lifestyle of shirking real responsibility and so he comes up with a themed climb; call it the Mt. Everest Climb 4 Whatever-just-fill-in-the-blank Cause.

CLIMBING FOR THE CURE

Climbing themes vary, but often have a similar sounding ring to them. The theme makes it sound like the climber or climbing group is doing good things for the Earth, the mountain, Sagarmatha or women in general (As my son and his teenage friend said in high school when asked why they were running a 10k for breast cancer, “Dad we’d run any distance for breasts!”) when in reality they are simply trying to get well intentioned donors to contribute to what amounts to a continuation of their lifestyle; a lifestyle they themselves have not earned and cannot afford. What you are really donating to is the climber’s lifestyle expense account. It’s really a sham believed by well-intentioned people with money. Many of the climbing guides I’ve met have terminal Peter Pan. That’s why they are in the guiding business. You pay for them to travel to far off places to hold the hands of people that have no business being on a mountain. The mantra of this do-gooder-themed-climb usually is along the lines of picking up trash on the mountain or climbing for breast cancer, or teaching children, or helping foreign children learn about America, democracy and other well publicized problems that are in the public eye and garner much attention and worldwide sympathy. The bucks roll in and the climbers live a lifestyle they’ve not earned and therefore can’t afford without you getting, well… suckered in.

So today I’m coining the Tea Cup Syndrome.

WHAT ARE THE COMMON TRAITS OF THE TEA CUP SYNDROME

All of these adventure events have several things in common. Here is my list of some of the common traits; based on the adventures I've participated in and those I’ve read about; it's my opinion there are many illegitimate companies that advertise adventure travel and then there are those who don't deliver what they promise.

Lombardi's Indicia of the Adventure Donation Cause

1. The people benefiting are the source of the facts that prove (or disprove) the story that hooks in the donors or the adventurer.

2. They use a popular and an emotional cause to hook in donors emotionally.

3. The adventure lacks any clear objectives except we are doing something that costs a lot to do.

4. The underlying facts that support the stories are difficult to disprove or to prove for that matter.

5. The main beneficiaries are the adventurers themselves, the adventure guides and the adventure companies that are hired by the main proponent and guides.

6. The proponent ends up controlling your donated money.

7. The climbs are expensive; the permits cost a lot of money and the gear and financial support is difficult for a normal working person to afford.

8. The activity is supported by an Internet site with daily, hourly or other timely updates.

9. The activity has what appears to be some life threatening adventure to it. 

10. The updates build excitement and can be emotionally participated in back home.

11. The leader or main climber isn't contributing any significant money to the activity.

12. There is a sensational story that underpins the entire adventure.

13. There is a sensational story line to hook in the donor and raises the main character to some God-like stature in the eyes of the people likely to donate.

14. The donors aren't likely to be able to travel to the adventure location.

15.  There is no publicly accessible accounting of how the money is actually going to be used or how it was used.

16. There are very ambiguous, but lofty and vague assertions made about the goals of the events.

17. The goals are all BS because none of it can be quantified.

18. There are slight variations in the facts underlying the story that generated the initial interest.

19. The adventure takes place in a foreign country and in remote locations far from where the donor dollars are generated; a fact making it difficult to disprove.

20. The theme for giving makes the donor feel good.

21. Very few if any climbing guides or climbing companies criticize the lack of financial transparency and accountability.

22. Many of the well known climbing guides and orgs are all doing it, and they all fall into these indicia.

23. Therefore there is no open debate about how the money should be spent because the discretion of how donations are spent is a closely guarded secret and in only the hands of a few insiders. In fact they will tell you this isn't important and distracts from the "goals".

24. The event or adventure takes place under the watchful eye of a third-world government that itself is not accountable for how it spends the money from the public till of the foreign government and therefore could care less if fraud is occurring right under its nose so long as it gets  the fees.

25. The guides and their adventure organizations use air-tight releases for all those participating in the adventure or event. In other words the wording that sucks in the suckers is carefully crafted to avoid legal liability on the part of the main participants and those who should be held accountable.

26. The adventure and all that is made public is very ambiguously written to make sure no factual promises are ever publicly made.

27. There is no public accountability of the fund raising efforts, the progress of fund raising and the funds are not put into the control of a third party that is accountable to the public.

28. Communications are carefully controlled.

29. There is an air of mystery surrounding the adventure.

30. The leader takes on a God-like air of importance.

I remember the Run for Guns out of Boston that sought donations for the IRA in Northern Ireland. The T-shirts were nice and the event did raised money, but eventually the Irish in Boston had to ask itself was it the right thing to do? Picking up trash on Mt. Everest sounds like the right thing to do, but really, is it all bullshit? What trash can possibly be left on Mt. Everest that needs to be picked up? Do you really think trash can just lie there in a place where wind whips the ice face at over 100 mph? If it's used toilet paper, do you think they are really picking it up; think again. Do you think you can whip out your bare butt, use toilet paper and somehow a miracle occurs and the used t-paper just sits there waiting for someone to come along and pick it up? How naïve can people really be? They show you a few items of trash and bingo; in come the bucks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3sXRX422Iw

What about those fund raising trips to pick up oxygen tanks? The oxygen tanks are too expensive to just leave lying around. The Sherpa's hauled them off and got the money on the resale back in Katmandu. I'm doubtful many Sherpas have a 401K plan. It’s my understanding the Russian made O2 tanks are the best. Think of those oxygen tanks as you would a very high deposit on a soda can. Why would a poor Sherpa walk down the mountain leaving behind what can add to their paycheck?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_ZuuL41TZ4

Let’s get back to the trash themed climb. There is a $4,000 Garbage and Human Waste Disposal deposit paid to the authorities who control access to the mountain. If you are issued a permit and pay the deposit you're expected to bring down a certain amount of human and solid waste or else you don't get your $4,000 deposit back. Described to me as “Shit Porters”, low level Sherpa’s carry the human waste down the mountain in blue plastic barrels where it's weighed and accounted for before the deposit is returned.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTRyqlj1rIQ&feature=fvwrel

While some of these themed climbs are legitimate many are a figment of someone’s imagination. These new age ideas that underscore themed climbs are simply made up to get your money to finance these modern day Peter Pan expeditions. What the hell, if Iowan's paid me to do a world Peter Pan-athon I'd quit work tomorrow and start working out 24/7/365 to run, bike, swim and try to climb the highest mountain in the world while traveling the world on someone else’s dime.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQJQapyHAQg

Climbing mountains doesn't develop character; it reveals the character within - or perhaps, the lack thereof.

Too many mountaineers today lack the right character and are simply seeking fame and fortune. Underpinning it all is that false sense of the loser being told he’s a winner; the same rotten apple that characterizes the Participation Trophy Syndrome. Winners will never accept a participation trophy; because winners want to win one. It’s only losers that will accept a participation trophy. Like any other profession there are those who will give the profession a black eye and climbing is no different. If you’re thinking of donating your hard-earned money consider the merits carefully and if you’re in the mountains climb high, sleep low and drink plenty of water. Onward we march...